Brands Hatch track invader sent to prison

The man who drove his car onto a live Brands Hatch circuit during a Fun Cup race has been sentenced to eight months in prison.

The man who drove his car onto a live Brands Hatch circuit during a Fun Cup race has been sentenced to eight months in prison.

Jack Cottle, 22, pleaded guilty to a public nuisance charge at Maidstone Crown Court after taking his VW Polo onto the circuit during the race, completing almost an entire lap before returning to the pit lane.

Footage of the incident was captured by a member of the public, though it was also filmed by someone in the back seat of the car and uploaded to YouTube, where Cottle's girlfriend in the front passenger seat can be clearly heard pleading with him to stop.

Cottle was subsequently convicted and sentenced to eight months in prison, with Judge Martin Joy describing his actions as 'inexcusable'.

"Your deliberate behaviour endangered not only your own life but those of your passengers, the competitors, the emergency services, the marshals, stewards and anyone else who was nearby"

MSV owner Jonathan Palmer was pleased with the ruling, adding the sentence reinforces the seriousness of the crime.

"I am really pleased that Kent Police and the Court have quite rightly taken such a tough stance on this deliberately reckless act, which endangered the lives of the drivers racing on circuit and the volunteer track marshals, not to mention Jack Cottle and his passengers.

"His idiotic and selfish behaviour - aggravated by his unrepentant attitude in subsequent media coverage - received much immediate condemnation. His conviction and prison sentence will serve to reinforce the message that this kind of antisocial behaviour is not only stupid, but will lead to prosecution."